Los Lunas teens injured in Fourth of July vehicle accident

LOS LUNAS — The Los Lunas Fourth of July festivities did not end well for a pair of Los Lunas teenagers trying to cross N.M. 314.

On that Friday, just after the end of the nighttime fireworks display at the Los Lunas Sports Complex, Los Lunas police were alerted of a vehicle-pedestrian crash on N.M. 314 just north of Morris Road in Los Lunas.

According to a LLPD incident report filed by an officer in the DWI squad, at about 9:52 p.m., a trio of female pedestrians attempted to cross the highway. Two were struck by a silver-colored 2002 Honda Accord, driven by a Los Lunas woman, who was driving northbound with her husband and their newborn in the vehicle.

No charges have been filed in connection with this incident. The LLPD’s report concluded, “Based on the totality of the investigation, vehicle 1 (the Honda Accord) is not at fault for the crash. The two pedestrians crossed in a location where a cross walk was not located. By doing so did place them in a dangerous situation which was preventable by using a cross walk. Both pedestrians did not keep a proper look out for vehicles in this area, thus leading to the collision.”

On Monday, July 7, LLPS public information officer, detective Sgt. Nikki DeAnda said she had spoken to the traffic investigations unit and was aware of the incident.

“The incident involved juveniles, and we are conducting a thorough investigation,” she said in a phone interview. “The juveniles crossed (N.M.) 314. Unfortunately, they were not in a designated crosswalk and were struck by a vehicle. Fire and paramedics responded, and the two were transported to the hospital.”

In the incident report, a third teenager, referred to as L.L., said the trio “approached the southbound shoulder of the roadway and looked both ways before crossing. After seeing no vehicles, they ran across towards the median. L.L. told police she stopped in the median and checked both ways but M.C. and the other female did not stop. L.L. said as she was looking, M.C. and the other female must have been struck by the vehicle. L.L. then saw M.C. lying on the ground and was not sure how it happened.”

In her interview, the driver said “(three) people in the median of the roadway from the westbound shoulder of the roadway and made it to the center median. Driver (one) said the subjects in the median appeared to have been ‘kinda judging if they could make it to the center median.”

The report said once the driver saw the teens, she veered into the other lane and put on her brakes. After the incident, the driver told police she got out of her car and her husband called 911.

The injured girls were both driven by ambulance to University of New Mexico Hospital. The names of the teenagers, ages 15 and 16, were redacted by LLPD in the report.

The list of injuries to the most seriously injured girl, only identified as M.C., were also redacted in the report. When asked to provide a description of the injuries on Monday, July 21, Los Lunas police said they were unable to do so at the direction of the village’s attorney, Larry Guggino. LLPD also said they did not know the teenagers’ current condition.

On Wednesday, July 23, after the News-Bulletin's print deadline, LLPD responded to an additional inquiry about the injuries on Monday and said the village attorney reiterated that LLPD did not have to release the information because it is shielded from the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA.)

According to the report from July 4, the vehicle involved received moderate damage on the front bumper and side mirror from the incident, and LLPD impounded the car as part of its investigation. The vehicle was released on July 9 after it was determined the crash data couldn’t be retrieved because the “2002 Honda Accord was not supported” by the crash data recovery software used by LLPD.

The News-Bulletin requested a copy of the report on July 7 and received the report on Monday, July 21. Inspection of the report indicates that investigation was completed on July 9.